FL171

Wat's Dyke: Section N of the Rectory, Hope  

 

Designated  

Flintshire  

Hope  

331030  

358484  

Monument  

Linear Earthwork  

Early Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises a stretch of Wat's Dyke, an early historic boundary marker probably associated with the border of the kingdom of Mercia. Both Offa's Dyke and Wat's Dyke probably represent separate attempts in the 8th century to formalise the boundary between the early historic kingdoms within Wales and Mercia to the east. Wat's Dyke runs south from Holywell to the Morda Valley near Maesbury. For the most part, Wat's dyke consists of an earthen bank, often utilising local topography and fronted, where it survives, by a ditch to the west. The size of the surviving earthworks varies considerably, reflecting differences in preservation and probably also in the original scale of construction. This stretch of Wat's Dyke measures 50m in length and is grass covered. The top of the bank lies under the Gresford Road, but the western side of the earthwork survives to 1.5m in height and is flanked by a western ditch which survives as a noticeable depression. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric/medieval defensive oranisation and settlement. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. A linear earthwork may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.